TNW Sites

Samsung targets kids in Southeast Asia with a new content subscription service for tablets

As Android phone manufacturers increasingly fight for the attention of consumers, Samsung is taking to content subscription services in a bid to lure potential users.

After taking a big step into the music-streaming fray with the launch of its own mobile app called Milk Music, and entering the video-streaming space with its own digital rental service for TV shows called Project Glued in Singapore and the Philippines, Samsung announced today a content subscription service for children aged three to seven years old.

The children’s content subscription service comes in the form of a mobile app, called Samsung KidsTime, which can be downloaded for free from the Google Play store today and Samsung Apps from June 14 onwards. It is optimized for Samsung tablets, and will land first on the Galaxy Tab 3 and 4 series, then expand to the Galaxy Note series by the end of the third quarter this year.

KidsTime is launching first in Singapore today and across Southeast Asia in the near future. Unfortunately, we may not be able to see it launch globally in the near future, as the initiative comes from Samsung’s Media Solutions Center in Southeast Asia, just like Project Glued.

Other than curating for children a set of entertainment apps and e-books that gets refreshed monthly with new titles, parents will also get access to a dashboard that lets them monitor the type of apps their children are opening up. Samsung has also promised no in-app purchases or advertising will be present, and there will be an “App Lock” service that prevents children from leaving KidsTime without a passcode.

The free version of the app provides access to 10 titles. Parents can upgrade to a monthly subscription of $4.99 for access to 30 e-books and game apps, but Samsung says it will eventually expand to more than 50 apps.